• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [
    "Wang Tao"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie China"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "China and the Developing World"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie China",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "East Asia",
    "China"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Climate Change"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie China

China Air Pollution: Return of the Smog

China’s heavy pollution is mainly a result of the country’s reliance on coal and heavy industry.

Link Copied
By Wang Tao
Published on Oct 27, 2013

Source: CCTV News

Carnegie–Tsinghua’s Wang Tao participated in a discussion on CCTV News’ World Insight on China’s current air pollution problem. In the discussion, Wang emphasized that China’s heavy pollution is mainly a result of the country’s reliance on coal and heavy industry. 

Wang noted that Beijing must learn from the mistakes of countries like the United States and UK in dealing with air pollution, but also retain a realistic mindset as long-term solutions to environmental challenges take years to be effective. The national government must prioritize improving the environment rather than focusing on cosmetic fixes. Wang made it clear that a major hurdle for the government will be the burden that environmental protection policies will place on the public. In order to keep the public invested, Wang explained that inconveniences to their daily lifestyles must be kept to a minimum. 

This interview was originally aired on CCTV News.

About the Author

Wang Tao

Former Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy

Wang Tao was a nonresident scholar in the Energy and Climate Program based at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.

    Recent Work

  • Article
    Xi’s Global Leadership Ambitions in the Trump Era

      Wang Tao

  • In The Media
    How the Paris Conference Is Driving China’s Gas and Oil Reforms

      Wang Tao, Yang Yifang

Wang Tao
Former Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Wang Tao
EconomyClimate ChangeEast AsiaChina

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • Paper
    Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its Limitations

    The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.

      Yezid Sayigh

  • Commentary
    Introduction: Beyond Climate Displacement

    Across the Middle East and North Africa, climate stress interacts with economic fragility, governance failures, social marginalization, and conflict.

      Camille Ammoun

  • Article
    Climate Pressures in Algeria: The Crisis in Rural Kabylie

    Understanding how farmers in the Oued Sahel-Soummam Valley grapple with climate change is essential for addressing the paradoxes through which adaptation, operating at both individual and institutional levels, deepens the region’s vulnerability and erodes the social fabric and agrarian identity that once defined life.

      Ilyssa Yahmi

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Climate Worsens the Distress of Yemen’s Muhammasheen

    The community already suffers social discrimination, so addressing inequalities requires sustained interventions.

      Musaed Aklan , Mohammad Al-Saidi

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Lake Qaraoun and Migratory Pressures

    Lebanon’s largest water reservoir is a house of many mansions when it comes to converging failures.

      Camille Ammoun

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.